Kecak Dance Poem by Ahmad Shiddiqi

Kecak Dance

Rating: 5.0


cak! cak! cak!
based on the Ramayana Epic
Prince Rama, his wife Sita
and his brother Laksmana
are exiled in middle of forest

cak! cak! cak!
Rama goes hunting a golden deer
at the request of his wife
who saw the strange animal
and has asked Rama to catch it

cak! cak! cak!
while Rama is away
Sita is kidnapped by Rahwana
taken to Island Kingdom of Alengka

cak! cak! cak!
Rama allies himself with monkeys
especially with Hanoman, white monkey
they build a bridge and cross to island

cak! cak! cak!
war ensues tremendously
until finally Rama defeats Rahwana
and is again united with his faithful wife

cak! cak! cak!
most popular of all Balinese dances
an element of the older Sang Hyang trance dance
a male choir praying obsessively to souls of their ancestors

cak! cak! cak!
a chorus’ obsessive voice
darkness looms over stage
around flickering light, of an oil lamp chandelier
sit in a circle, bare-breasted hundreds men

cak! cak! cak!
to rhythmic sound
of their own voices, they start dancing
to the sky, their hands raised
in unison, their bodies shaking

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Ahmad Shiddiqi

Ahmad Shiddiqi

Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia
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